Six months into Donaldson’s term the conservative leadership in congress knew they might not be able to override a presidential veto on the AIDS Treatment Reform bill but they had an absolute majority on a draft version of another conservative sacred cow that would dramatically cut back welfare.  Over half of the government programs to aid the poor would end abruptly in a year if it passed.  Some of the others would be cut.  The conservatives made the bill so onerous that many of their ranks had to swallow hard to support it hoping to find an acceptable fall back position later if needed.  The president was appalled and looked for a compromise.  Meanwhile the liberals were pushing for the president to stand up and make a difference or their support would vanish.  The compromise offered by the majority leadership in the congress was almost unthinkable.  In fact it would have been if there had been any alternative.  In frustration the president swore at the congressional leadership and threw them out of his office when it was first proposed.  As the time passed and the situation became more critical he called them back.  By then they were firm in their position, the constitutionality of the AIDS bill was assured by the court poll, it was even now moving through the conference committee and would soon be on his desk.  It was watered down a little but it was nearly what was desired in the early days.  The legislative leadership promised that if he vetoed the AIDS bill they might not override the veto but the welfare bill would follow.  He could veto the AIDS bill and it would certainly be passed over that veto.  By now he was ready to sign the AIDS bill if a couple of changes were made if he could get an agreement to water down the welfare bill. 

The congressional conservatives were amazingly accommodating. They agreed to every change he requested.  They had expected to make more concessions to insure the president would sign it.   The price of the President’s anger and his treatment of the congressional leadership in his previous meeting would be higher than anyone expected.  The democrat party had been through ten years of hell and it wasn’t going to get better soon. Dave Donaldson, Democrat would get the blame for these two bills.